Hello readers,

Before we go in to this chapter, remember that I have placed this story after Jay asked Erin to move in with him but before she asked him to move in with her instead.

Also this chapter has a lot of reference to what happened to Jay but doesn't explain to the reader the full incident. Don't be mad coz I could not find the right place to put it. It will be explained in the next chapter though.

CHAPTER 04

"This is not a good idea, that air vent may end up right at the face of whoever is keeping us here, provided you somehow manage to climb up and get out of it without being eaten up by rats maybe bats or most probably if you somehow manage to breath at all"

"I know ..."

"but?"

"But ... We have to do something, I'm having enough of this, we don't know day from night, how many days do you think we have been here? I've lost all counts, I'm having enough of sitting here and eating KFC "

"well, atleast we get KFC, things could be worse"

"How so"

"we could be starving, tortured or ...dead like Mandell "

"But we aren't starving, not tortured and we are still breathing, not quite living or serving our original purpose either, are we?

"we are surviving"

"Yeah right, what a master of positivity you are Halstead !

Erin was waiting for something...anything from Mouse. Her window was open and the sound and the feel of the fresh air was doing a bit of a help easing up the fast running gears in her head. The food cartons beside her bed wasn't even half empty and was getting colder. She looked at them and made a mental note to start cooking at home again. She had no will to cook at home and depended solely on spicy and greasy takeaways that teased her nostrills, forceably creating apetite in her. They were also responsible for the kilogram she put on since Jay left. Time to start cooking and hit Antonios gym for extra work out.

Something in her was telling her that she was in the right track. Although she wasn't sure how to move forward in this case she was hoping with the intel from Mouse the road will be clear. The sorrow that had envelopped her ever since she got to know that Jay was MIA was now gone, itching to do something about her hunch. She could not go to sleep untill she received news from Mouse, not that she was a good sleeper ever since Jay left. But today was different. She couldn't sleep because of anticipation and not because of the empty space on the other side of the bed.

So yes, when the phone rang, for her thrill it was mouse. But things could change in miliseconds. Before she answered her phone her bedroom window made a sound. She turned to see and saw the bulky men coming through it. One of them expertly sent his flash light hurling at her hand and she lost the grip of her phone and as she dived for her gun on the bed side cupboard one of them pulled her by her ankles and she fell on the floor with a thump. Someone stood on her hands and there was no way she could move them and pain was only beginning by the crushed muscle and veins. Then a piece of cloth reached her mouth. She thought they were going to put it in her mouth and muffle her. She began to scream trying desperately to make the smallest possible sound so someone will hear her. But the piece of cloth quickly covered her mouth and the sharp smell that came to her was only there for seconds for she fell unconcious.

Why the hell did she kept her windows open...

The two soldiers stopped the push ups they were doing to the faint echo of boots coming from outside. For days they have been listning to this echo. It has been the one thing that connected them to the outside world. For days the same boots opened a small window on the door through which the only light they saw ever since their capture poured in to the room for a briefest second. It was through that same light they saw that they were in a prison room which had a toilet in the far left corner and an air vent right above it. Through that window two bags always fell in to the room each carrying a burger and a water bottle.

"This is my last KFC " Harvey swore. His eyes travelled to the corner where they had piled at least a dozen and a half of empty KFC bags and plastic water bottles.

"If you go through that hole, it might literally be" Jay said to his fellow whose impatience unlikely for a ranger was getting the better of him. But he dare not say anything about it because the guy saw his brother Mandell get shot during the shootout. He was thankfull Harvey was keeping it together for this long.

"Idon't care, I just can't go home without mandy...if we make it alive" He then opened up the paper bag that was thrown inside and put it down unceremoniously.

"Seriously bro, are they trying to kill us with KFC?" he asked. "Why don't they just put a bullet in our head?

Jay wasn't surprise at how he changed the subject. He knew very well how upset his fellow soldier was but the guy didn't wannna talk about it and Jay respected that. They both had to be in a strong mental status to survive this. So, if avoiding the eliphant ...maybe two eliphants in the room was the way to it, he was ready for that. So instead Jay summarised their techniques so maybe it will bring his friend back to the right track and make him stay on it.

"They want us to do something for them, that's why the food comes regularly. So that we won't be weak physically. But they also want us to be at the edge of our nerves. That's why the the food is the same annoying thing everyday and the deprivation of sunlight and the wait for information on what is going on. "

"Our hands are not bound, we have a nice spacy room with a flushable toilet and the guard doesn't throw food bags at us but put them down on the floor through the hole. Which means they might want us to agree on something with them" Harvey joined him much to Jays pleasure.

"Its an emotional game, maybe because they know we are too good to bend at torture that they prefer we do it at our descretion"

"Do what Jay?" Harvey brought up the big question. It has been weighing both of them down and he just couldn't get his mind off of it.

"What do you think they are going to do with the bomb? Jay answered with another question at his buddy.

"The usual stuff ...blow it up!" Harvey chuckled.

"Then we failed" Jay said to the floor. He did not voice it but he had counted 21 burger meals now. That means if they were given three meals a day they had been captives for probably a week and a lot could happen in a week. They were in total and complete darkness that they couldn't even see each others face. They haven't had a shower for the duration and Jay thought the only reason he couldn't smell himself was because the place smelled far worse. But he couldn't break. He promised himself that he will utilise any oprtunity to disarm the bomb and survive to go home to...Erin.

"But they are keeping us alive" Harvey added "that means they still haven't gone past your password, they need you alive for your password. Why are they keeping me alive?

" my password in return for your life"

"It's probably that" Harvey said and Jay could feel his friends heavy breath. Its a technique widely used. Two soldiers who are friends provide an excellent background to use the technique. While torturing one , the other will be forced to watch or give away the information needed so the torture will stop.

"Harvey.." he started but Jay wasn't allowed to complete it.

"We know the game Jay, and we know the consequences if we allow them to win. Can you emagin the aftermath of a pulse bomb in chicago. The police will be totally blind, the gangs will...god I don't even wan't to think about it"

"Lets just hope they haven't found a genie that could crack the password." Jay said hopefully. He sure wasn't gonna give them the password. Even if it killed both of them. The whole of chicago was far worth than their lives.

Then they heard the footsteps again and this time they counted footsteps of more.

"Thats unusual" harvey joyously got up in anticipation. " I told you this was my last meal, either way"

Jay frowned at him. But retrived because he knew Harvey couldn't see his annoyed gesture.

The door opened fully for the first time and a bright light was placed On the floor. Jay and Harvey closed and covered their eyes in pain. Their eyes hadn't seen a light in about a week and they were sick from light deprivation feeling cranky at the loss of sunlight.

"Give your eyes sometime, they will get use to the light " a voice said. Neither Jay nor Harvey needed light to know who was speaking.

"Captain" they shouted simultaniously. The surprise was just too much.

But their surprise and the hint of happiness that started to emerge quickly disappeared at the realisation that their captain was not theirs anymore. The atmosphere felt so suffocative to the two soldiers.

"You're with them ! Harvey exclaimed incredulously. His tone was pregnant with hatred and disappointment. Before long Jay who was still trying to open his eyes fully heard the thumping of boots on the floor. Harvey had managed to open his eyes and jumped at Reed. They were fighting on the floor. Fists exchanged and kicks thrown. Jay opened his eyes slightly and ran at them. Harvey was not goanna win this fight. He was weak and outnumbered fighting against a man who was at least half a foot taller than him. Jay heard other men coming at them in the outside corridor and managed to drag his friend out of the quarrel just in time or else he could have ended with a bullet from the gang members who flooded their prison cell like a wave.

"you killed him, you killed Mandy". Harvey shouted trying to get loose from Jays hold. Reed got up from the floor and signed his men to back down.

"I gave you a chance to go back to the base, why didn't you just go" he asked wiping out a smear of blood coming from his parted lips.

"traitor" Harvey spat at him. Before Jay could stop, a man with a rifle jumped in between them and butted his head with the gun and Harvey slid through Jays hands unconscious. Jay knew the man very well. He was a gang leader he put in jail some years ago when he was in gang unit.

He then walked a circle around Jay putting quite a show. Jay truly felt the presence invading his personal zone as threatening. The guy was doing a good job.

"Isn't it ironic, last time we met the circumstances were opposite. Do you remember me? "

Jay kept silent. He knew the mans name was 'big D '. Big because of the size and d for Diago.

When no answer came from Jay he pointed the riffle at Harvey who was lying unconscious and Jay quickly gave what the man wanted.

"big D"

"that's right. That's my name. And I paid all my dues in prison thanks to you. Now I'm out for revenge. Take back the name you snatched from me. Isn't it ironic we met again". The lament of a psychopath unfolded like that.

There were a thousand things Jay wanted to say but knowing his situation was dire he refrained from making empty threats.

" you are smart" the man said to Jay. " you are silent, observing, calculating and making mental notes".

Jay stood there unfazed clearly hiding his emotions. Years of ranger training coming to his aid.

"if you are as smart as I think you are you will accept my offer"

"which is"

"During the shootout you somehow managed to enter the kill password to two pods. We did not see that coming. We employed a very skilled hacker but to no avail. So give us the password and we let you and your friend walk or else shall we put it this way? If you don't give us the password we will give your friend the most torturous and slowest possible death"

Jay knew this was coming. Infact this was not the first chance he was in such a situation. Fate was playing cruel games with him. But when the man looked at him with the most evil smile he had only one thing to say. "If you know me so well...you already know my answer"

"Jay, just give us the damn password, you don't need to make this any harder than it already is" captain Reed joined the conversation. Jay shivered with disgust. Such were words he never thought would come from his captain. But Jay kept silent. Mostly because he did not know what to say to the man he considered his mentor for a long time. His mind was a complete blank when it came to confronting Reed, like his brain was yet to comprehend the fact that he was a traitor.

"I'm running out of patience, lets get this started, tell me when he becomes conscious "

with that big d and his men stepped out of the room. Captain Reed who held a gaze at Jay shook his head in disappointment, was the last to step out. Before the door closed Jay found the question he had to ask.

" Why?

Reed turned back and stepped in again. The door was yet to close. He let go a breath he was holding and faced Jay.

"Do you know Jay my wife and I always wanted more than one kid but we never really got the chance to try because I was never really home. And the army, knowing very well who I was, what dedications I had made for this country at the cost of my family, still sent in my only son undercover on a suicidal mission when he wasn't even fully trained. After his death my wife was never the same. She started hurting herself because she thought it was her fault that she let him join the army. She started hurting her self and the police and neighbours thought it was domestic violence by a retired army officer with PTSD. Like that wasn't enough they had to call me for this mission. That's when I decided enough was enough. This is my revenge Jay. Nobody will stop me from it. Not you, not Harvey, no body. "

Jay could see Reeds eyes shining with the little light in the prison cell. Whether it was tears trying to stream out or just pure hatred he couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. While Jay was lost in the new information the door closed and he was standing in the pitch black again. He sat down and turned Still unconscious Harvey in to a comfortable position and wished he will sleep as long as he could because once he is up what ever big d was planning to do with them will start. !

Erin woke up to the sound of a horn. Must be a big truck. She thought. She then realized it was dark and tiny peeps of light was in front of her. As the last memories flooded in to her mind she felt the bounds against her wrists and ankles, coldness of her back against the moving vehicle, sounds of the street, the duct tape over her mouth and the suffocative bag over her head. Her first instinctive was to shout for help but she fought that desire because she realized playing dead was her best option right now. Even if through the bag and the tape she somehow did manage to shout no one will hear her in the noisy busy street.

So she sat still. Listened intently on finding a clue for where they were taking her or who they were. But all she could hear was the sounds of a busy road. No body in the vehicle she was in talked and she did not feel the presence of a person near her. Maybe she could straighten her leg a little bit that was killing her because of numbness. She waited a little more time to make sure their attention was away from her. Then she slowly straightened her leg.

"The bitch is up" shouted someone just beside her. Erin swore under her breath with frustration. She had ruined her chance.

"Give another dose" someone else said from the front of the vehicle. Then someone grabbed her by her neck and pushed her head on to something that felt like fabric. The smell was all too familiar and she very well knew what it was. It was morphine and she drifted slowly to the blind comfort.

"Jay" Harvey said as he sat up .

"Shhhh"

Jay silenced him in response. "you need to pretend unconscious as long as you can"

"why"

"because they are going to start your session as soon as you wake up"

"so they need the password"

"yep"

"promise me Jay, no matter what they do to me, you will not give that to them" .

Although Harvey waited for a response Jay was silent. "Jay"

"we need to come up with something" Jay finally said.

"Like what, don't we already have our backs against the wall"

"I was wondering, they have only one pod here, it is active, the one I couldn't lock with the kill password."

"and"

"both the other pods must be with the labs. They are locked and neither party can do anything untill all three pods are together and unlocked by me. Jay halsteds biometrics are also needed so they are going to want me physically"

"and"

"what if I make a deal, agree to give the password. Go there and use the second kill pass word to completely kill the bomb. Remember the second kill password totally deactivates the bombs by burning the circuitry."

"what if you dont get to do that, its too much of a risk"

"we have to try"

"what if I climb up that dirty air vent and go for help"

"that's risky too"

"okay, then why don't you do your thing and I do my thing"

Harvey ducked down as much as he could as the air vent became narrower and narrower. Pushing past rat poop, animal skeletons and webs and allsorts of disgusting things he could imagine in an air vent in an abandoned prison he moved forward with sheer will. He didn't even know where the hell the air vent was leading him. Making snap decisions on whether to take left or right turn at junctions he was relieved to finally see a light a few meters ahead.

Making the least possible noise he moved forward as fast as he could. Turns out he was on the right path. The vent ended with an old metal net that covered the air vent opening. They had been kept in the basement cells of a prison which was why it was so dark in there. The air vent protruded out of the basement structure to bring out fresh air in. Harvey took a few minuits before he yanked at the metal net to make sure no one was around. The old and net gave out easily at his strong arms. Then he tentatively placed one step outside in to the night. And then another. He was still inside prison premises but he saw an opening through the broken fence. He could hear the river flowing down. But as the fresh air hit him all the bile he had been holding came out like a tsunami. There was no way he could stop it. He let it out with a bark and through the dry heaves he wished to god that no body will hear him. He ran at the opening even before his vomit stopped. It was all over him but this was no time to be a clean freak. If he made it out he could save both their lives including chicago from a pulse bomb attack.

Apparently god was not on his side today, as he hasn't been with him for the past week. He saw a prison van come through the gate and stopped abruptly. Harvey still kept running. Then he heard someone yell behind him to stop. But he didn't. He just has to crawl through the opening and they wont risk following him after that. There were boats in the river. Tourists taking boat rides were there. If he could only just pass that fence.

Harvey heard the roar of a gun. He didn't even look back. He then felt both the impact and the familiar pain of being shot. This was not his first time so as he hit a metal pole of the fence with a thud and slid down to the ground the agonizing pain eating inside him became more and more prominent. He could see the shooter and two others running at him.

They were getting close. Harvey closed his eyes and opened them accepting the pain. Just like he was taught when he was under training. Just like he did when he was first shot in Afghanistan. He concentrated on it and accepted it. It was the only way to not go insane with it.

They were only a few meters from him. Harvey could hear the river flowing. Maybe his redemption was lying at the bottom of that river waiting for him. He couldn't save his brother. Now he failed his friend. Most importantly he failed his city. He willed himself to stand up. But standing up to his full height was out of his league. His legs gave in but he somehow crawled forward, Forward and out of the hole in the fence finally. Then as if on autopilot he rolled down the river bank and plunged in to the cold river.

The door to the cell opened and Jay waited in the corner. He was ready for the drama there would be when they get to know Harvey was not inside the cell. Whether his friend actually made it outside was a different matter.

The now familiar figure of big D stepped in. But to Jay's dismay he wasn't looking for his friend and started talking straight up.

"Captain gave me an advice, said that you two are highly trained people that will not bend at torture and I believed him. So I took a different approach. I have something that will truly inspire you to reconsider my request. "

He then stepped out and stood at the door. Two men dragged something and pushed it inside his cell. Jay couldn't make it through the darkness but to him it did look like a body. He shivered at the thought that this could be harvey's body.

"Sorry the delivery was delayed. We had to handle your friend" he said as he closed the door with a loud bang. For Jays annoyance he was left in the darkness once again. He chose to stay quiet for a little bit of time. Just so he could calm down his overworked nerves. As his quriosity pushed him he stepped closer to the bulk that was thrown in to the room. When his feet hit the thing he bent down and prodded it. His hand first hit on something...he quickly took away his hands astonished. He knew what they were, they were breasts of a woman. He knew the all too familiar rims of a bra and the soft cushion feeling that followed. But before he could fully process what his touch told him a kick came at his groin and he was thrown aback with the impact. He leaned back on the wall covering his groin that was in pain. He definetely didn't expect that and the bulk was definetely was not Harvey.

"Don't touch me again" the bag threatened.

Jay forgot his pain.

He knew the voice.

His mouth gaped in the darkness and the realisation brought tears to his eyes. So they know his biggest weakness. Thay have touched the most sensitive part of his life other than his love for his brother. And now the most important person in his life will suffer and it was all because he failed his mission.

Through the falling tears he quickly regained his senses. He is a trained soldier. He cannot break. And his mission was certainly not a failure yet because he hasn't given up hopes to turn the tables on the masterminds behind this. So he finally drew up a breath that he had forgotten to take and found his voice.

"Er..."